I guess I have durdled long enough now, and it is time for me to finally decide on what 3DS game I will award as my Game of the Year. This is a tough one for me, especially since I loved a lot of games that were released in 2013. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Fire Emblem: Awakening, and Animal Crossing have all defined my gaming experiences in 2013. Only one can come out on top though, and the game which I will award the Game of the Year Award goes to:

Fire Emblem: Awakening

In the end, I just loved this game way too much to not give it the title. After playing Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones on the GBA (which was my first Fire Emblem game) I was hooked on the gameplay and stories that the Fire Emblem series had to offer. So naturally, when Fire Emblem Awakening was first revealed, you could say that I was a little excited. To have another adventure to play through on my favorite handheld was a dream come true, and when I first sunk my teeth into the magic that is Fire Emblem: Awakening, I knew I had found a new favorite title for the system. The artstyle is gorgeous, with beautifully drawn characters each with their own truly unique look and drop dead gorgeous cut scenes. The music is extraordinary and sets the mood and scale of each stage perfectly, and the gameplay is top notch. Every move you make is essential, and the wrong move can spell disaster for one of the members of your party or for your entire crew. The inclusion of the new casual mode was cool, just to be able to play through the game without having to worry about restarting every second level because you accidentally left your healer or weaker character open to attack. If you are like me though, classic mode is where it is at, as each move you make is well calculated and leaves no character unprotected.

In all, I enjoyed every minute of the game. The story was interesting, the characters were fun and unique, and the gameplay delivered on what I expected from a Fire Emblem game. I honestly could not have asked for more in a game.

Honorable Mentions

Animal Crossing: New Leaf has been my jam since it's release last June. I may not play it on a daily routine any more, but I make sure that I at least get on every second or third day to check up on my town. So far I have logged on over 120 hours into it, and I have barely scratched the surface of the game (or at least, what I want to get done in it). There are still dozens of fish, insects and fossils to collect, pieces of art to buy and medals to earn. I still haven't even bought all of the house upgrades yet, and my town is only half finished (in terms of decorations and public works projects). I can see me playing this throughout 2014, and probably right up until the new game is released..

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is packed full of awesome as well. The new mechanics brought an interesting twist to the gameplay, and I really enjoyed the music and artstyle in the game. This may seem weird though, but I was never a huge fan of the Legend of Zelda games.... I really enjoy them, and I have yet to play one that I didn't like, but they never "hook" into me, if you can understand what I am saying. The same goes for A Link Between Worlds, although it was quite an amazing game, it just didn't resonate with me 100%. That's a discussion for a different time though.

So what did you guys think? What is your 2013 GOTY for the 3DS? Let me know in the comment section below!

If you want to see my other Awards handed out to 3DS Games, check out the links below:

Right next to my overall GOTY for 2013, this is the hardest award for me to decide. Nintendo is known for amazing soundtracks in their games, and this fact remained strong in the games released last year on 3DS. From the sweet, sweet tunes found in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, to the masterfully created music found in Fire Emblem: Awakening and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, the 3DS brought some of the best video game soundtracks last year. In the end though, I could only pick one game, so the Award for Best Soundtrack on the 3DS for 2013 goes to:

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Animal Crossing: New Leaf's soundtrack is the best in the series in my opinion, and one of the best soundtracks from a game that I have ever played. Each track has it's own catchy beat that can put me into any type of mood from happy and playful to warm and relaxed. The soundtrack was so good that I had to go and find it online and download it, so I could listen to some of my favorite tunes on my ipod. The song that plays when you are in the roost is currently playing as I type this, it just makes me feel so relaxed and helps me write ^-^

Honorable Mentions

Both Fire Emblem: Awakening and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds were possible choices for this award, and even though I didn't choose them in the end, I think both have very good soundtracks in them. Fire Emblem had some epic tracks in it that just set the stage for the epic battles that took place in the game, and A Link Between Worlds brought both new and classic Zelda tunes. Here are some of my favorite tacks from both games:

After listening to all those awesome tracks from A link Between Worlds and Fire Emblem again, I realize how much I love them! Man making decisions is tough....

So these blogs are slowly chugging along... I should have known that I am one of the most indecisive gamers out there and that coming up with these lists would be harder than expected, but oh well. Here is the next award which goes to my RPG of the year! (for the 3DS of coarse)

Fire Emblem: Awakening

I mean, it is Fire Emblem: Awakening..... it just had to win in this category. Looking at the other games I had nominated, sure they were good, but they couldn't touch what the guys and gals at Intelligent Systems had crafted. Perfect mix of character design, strategy gameplay, artwork and sound. The gameplay is what really pushed it over the edge for me though, it's both challenging and rewarding. I liked everything about the game though, and that is why I will always want to play more! In fact... I may start a new game right now....

Honorable Mentions

Pokemon X and Y were solid entries into the series. It is also a step into the future for Poekmon as it is the first real 3D adventure! Unfortunately I felt like it was a step backward in terms of gameplay and story. I flew through this game with ease, not once having any trouble. Even the Elite Four felt like push overs..... and the story was not that great in my opinion. Especially after seeing the moral struggles of N in Pokemon Black and White (never got to play Black 2 or White 2...). In the end, it was just another Pokemon game for me... which don't get me wrong, is still 100% awesome.

Sorry to tell you, but you guys kind of suck...

Shin Megami Tensei IV was another strong candidate for this award. It took the pokemon formula of collecting monsters to fight for you and added a whole bunch of whop ass. Yeah, it is basically on the other side of the spectrum compared to Pokemon. There were many situations were I only survived because of luck... or where I got completely destroyed by a random encounter... Shin Megami Tensei IV has no trouble telling you "Hey, you're doing pretty well so far.. hope you don't mind never getting past this section until you grind for 4 hours...." Although I really did enjoy the difficulty, what really resonated with me was the collecting and fusing of demons. I just love trying to fuse and form the best possible demons and creating powerhouse teams. I highly recommend it to those looking for a bit of challenge.

Although the list of Action / Adventure games released on the 3DS in 2013 is pretty small, each game on the list was a quality title. Each game was a memorable experience that took my favorite parts from past games and improved on them. When thinking of each game that I had nominated for this award, it soon became pretty clear what game I would pick for this award, and that game had to be:

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

I have to admit it, but I haven't actually finished this game yet. That goes to show you how good it is though,, because even though I have only played it for a few hours (around 6-8 hours I believe) it is still amazing. The gameplay is fresh and interesting thanks to the new mechanic that turns Link into a wall painting. It added a cool new layer to the puzzle solving, which in case you have never played a Legend of Zelda game before, is a very big part of the series. When combined with a visual style that I think looks really cool and a masterful soundtrack (as is the case with every Legend of Zelda game..), I just had to pick this game, even if I have not been able to get into the very meat of it yet. The fact that it has impressed me this much already should give you guys an impression on just how good the game is, and I think that everyone should do themselves a favor and at least try the game once if you are a 3DS owner.

Honorable Mentions

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is alsso a game that I haven't been able to finish, but I have put a few more hours into it then A Link Between Worlds. I blame my lack of discipline when it comes to beating games and my busy school life for this fact...

From what I have played it is a very fun game with it's own unique charm. I never played the original title released on Gamecube, but I am sure that it added and improved on that game significantly.

At first I thought that the award for the best character for the 3DS would be a pretty easy choice for me, especially since Nintendo is not really known for having the deepest of characters. When I started to look at some of my favorite stars from last years games though, I started to see that it may not be as easy as I thought. Nintendo may not be the best at crafting masterful characters with huge character developments in their games, but they are pretty good at creating joyful and likable characters that seem to make you smile every time you see them. Plus, 2013 saw a few games released from third-parties, each with their own interesting characters.

In the end though, I had to give the Award For Best Character in 2013 to:

Chrom (Fire Emblem: Awakening)

It's been a while since I have played and finished Fire Emblem Awakening, but I remember a lot about the game, especially the characters. Each character is well crafted with their own distinct personality, from Vaike with his mighty ego to Sumia the klutz who is good with communicating with animals. Of all the characters introduced throughout the chapters of Fire Emblem Awakening, Chrom is the single character that stands out the most. As the main protagonist of the game, you get to meet him right away and get to know what he is all about. Chrom fights for justice and the good of the innocent, he is brave and kind, and he will do anything to protect the ones he loves and holds dear. All of these traits help make him become a perfect leader a very likable character. In my eyes, he clearly deserves to win this award for the best character of 2013.

Honorable Mentions

Lysandre from Pokemon X and Y is the leader to possibly the most ridiculous team of evil doers ever. He is easily recognizable from his bright red suit that for some reason matches his ridiculous hair and.. lions mane? I dunno, but his design is pretty cool and this generations team of villains were pretty fun.

Like... really?

Isabelle is probably one of the cutest characters that Nintendo has created in a while. She looks after your town for you while you are off doing all you important mayor things like redecorating your house, fishing by the lake, of out frolicking in the flowers catching butterflies......

Also, if you ever catch her sleeping, you will see why I think she is so adorable. She's just the best :3

So who did you guys think should have won the best character award? Let me know below!